Thursday 26 November 2009

No time to stand and stare.

I really hate time, and timing, and "time-management." I hate the fact that my life has to be segmented into episodic scenarios; work, play, sleep. Like, I wanted to watch Spooks t'other day, but no, I didn't have time, because I had work. Or, I got home late from the pub, and I wanted to watch The Wire, but I had an early start, so needed time to sleep.

In a world where only two things are certain (to take the existentialist route), birth and death, it seems only proper that we should spend our time in between these two landmark events by filling our lives full of memories of worthwhile experiences. Actually, bugger that, I just want more time to lay on my bed and just think about stuff.

It seems only unavoidable that with the inexorable crawl of time we grow old and have to grow up. I guess there's not much point to this rant, but the point is I'm annoyed, and that should be enough. It annoys me that I haven't got any bloody vegetables because I didn't have time to go to the shop. It annoys me that I haven't seen Fantastic Mr Fox yet because I haven't found the time. It really annoys me that I probably won't be able to go to see Evil 9 or Hijak tomorrow because I haven't had the time to work out how much money I [haven't] got.

Anyway, for all my rhetoric, WH Davies says it much better:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Clichéd I know, but meh.

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